Friday 21 February 2020 15:13, UK
If anybody knows what a 'comeback' consists of, it's Tyson Fury. The Gypsy King won his battle with depression to return to box in June 2018 to fight Sefer Seferi after nearly three years out of the ring.
Fury beat Wladmir Klitschko in Dusseldorf in November 2015, and just over three years later he faced an even bigger task against Deontay Wilder in Los Angeles, taking on the heaviest hitter in the heavyweight division after just six months back in the ring.
A pulsating fight at the Staples Center consisted of Fury largely outboxing Wilder until the final round when the American knocked him down heavily.
A huge right hand from Wilder connected before a big swing of the left caught Fury on the way down.
It looked for all the world as if Fury would lose, but against the odds he somehow rose to his feet and won the remainder of the round, even rocking Wilder himself in one of the best rounds in heavyweight history.
Fury has a chance to put it right in Saturday's rematch to complete the most sensational sporting comeback ever seen.
Here are five other heavyweight boxing comebacks featuring legends of the sport.
James 'Buster' Douglas vs Mike Tyson, February 1990
One of boxing's most iconic fights recently celebrated its 30-year anniversary and the image of Mike Tyson searching for his gumshield while wary on all fours following an attack from James Douglas still contains all its original power. The result could have been so much different though if the man from Ohio failed to beat the third man's count in round eight. Tyson found a rare moment of success and floored his opponent and with Octavio Meyran about to count Douglas out, he somehow made it to his feet before stopping Tyson two rounds later.
Larry Holmes vs Earnie Shavers 2, September 1979
He was the heavyweight division's dominant force for the first half of the 1980s, but Larry Holmes impressive reign was almost derailed before it got started at the end of the previous decade. After dominating Earnie Shavers in 1978, Holmes accepted his challenge again the following year and almost regretted that decision during a turbulent seventh round. Shavers' legendary right hand dropped Holmes heavily and it appeared the WBC title was going home with the man from Alabama, but Holmes beat the count, somehow survived the round, and stopped Shavers in the 11th session.
Riddick Bowe vs Evander Holyfield 3, November 1995
It was the lesser fight of their stunning trilogy, but it was a defining moment in Riddick Bowe's career as survived a mini-crisis to become the victor in this classic heavyweight series. Both men entered their rubber match with a win apiece, and when Holyfield dropped the New Yorker for the first time in his career, it looked like the man from Alabama would take the win. Bowe responded brilliantly and his bravery was rewarded in round eight when he became the first man to stop Holyfield.
Wladimir Klitschko vs Samuel Peter, September 2005
Wladimir Klitschko was effectively fighting for his career when he took on Nigeria's heavy-handed Samuel Peter in the autumn of 2005. After losing to Lamon Brewster a year earlier, huge question marks surrounded Klitschko's sturdiness and although he was victorious against Peter, those same queries existed. Klitschko was dropped three times by Peter, but he managed to nick enough rounds from a safe distance to claim a nervy points win.
Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko, April 2017
Anthony Joshua's rise through his boxing infancy was impressive, but boxing fans wanted to know his true world-class credentials following excellent wins over the highly-rated Dillian Whyte and Charles Martin. Although Wladimir Klitschko had lost his last fight to Tyson Fury, he still possessed a vast arsenal of weapons and Joshua found that out the hard way when he was dropped heavily in round number six courtesy of a superb Klitschko right hand. Although Joshua looked out of it, he responded well to the setback and beat the fight out of Klitschko with a dramatic eleventh-round stoppage.
